This invention relates to a method and apparatus for drying fabrics such as textiles.
Large commercial dryers are used for drying fabrics in a variety of applications. For example, such dryers are used by commercial laundries, towel services, diaper services, and textile manufacturers and processors.
Much attention has been directed to improving the performance of such dryers. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,564,566; 3,157,391; 3,861,865; and 3,882,613 are all directed to improvements in dryers. Also, I have received U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,419,969; 3,601,903; 3,815,257; 3,831,294; 3,921,308; 3,995,988; and 4,010,550, all of which relate to drying of textiles.
Commercially available dryers are able to quickly dry large quantities of fabrics. However, they tend to be inefficient, requiring excessively large quantities of energy for evaporating water from fabrics. Such inefficiency is particularly troublesome for "pass through" systems, where hot gas used for drying the fabrics is discharged to the atmosphere, and not recycled for further drying.
In addition to inefficiency, another problem noted with commercial dryers is uneven drying in the drying chamber. This can result in the bulk of the fabrics in the chamber being dry, with a small portion of the fabrics remaining wet. The drying cycle needs to be lengthened to dry the wet fabrics, and this wastes energy and results in inefficient usage of the drying equipment. It is believed that this problem of uneven drying results from "dead spots" in the drying chamber where introduced drying gas is unable to penetrate and circulate.
Thus, there is a need for an improved drying process and an improved drying apparatus which are more energy efficient than commercially available dryers and which provide more even drying within a drying chamber.